Electrically operated measuring and selecting device



G. A. REEVE Jan. 22, 1935.

ELECTRICALLY CSPERATED MEASURING AND SELECTING DEVICE Filed Jan. 20, 1932 1 VENTOR. gwzye flaw BY 7 I w 9 w ATToRwEYs.

Patented Jan. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT f OFFICE.

ELECTRIOALLY OPERATED MEASURING AND SELECTING pnvror:

George A. Reeve, Ashland, Kya assignor to The American Rolling Mill Company, Middletown,

Ohio, a. corporation of Ohio Application January/20, 1932, Serial No. 587,836

7 Claims. (01. 209- 82) My invention relates toelectrically operated mechanism for sorting sheets of material by length while they are passing over a conveyor. In the rolling of 7 sheets, of metal, the ends of the sheet frequently fish-tail; and in any electrical system controlled by switches that will automatically determine the maximumefiective length of sheets *untrimme'd.

A further object is 'toprovide an electrical system that will automatically determine the maximum length of a sheet with squared orirregular edges while the. sheet is in transit along a conveyor. 1 l I It is a further object to provide an electrical selecting system that canmeasure the effective length of a squared or irregular edged sheet w hile in transit along a conveyor and operate a take-0E mechanism to, remove the sheet after measuring and selection.

These and otherobjects of my invention which will be more specifically pointed out in the specification or will be clear from what follows, I

accomplish by a construction of which I will now describe an exemplary embodiment. Refer ence is made to; the drawing which is part' hereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a part of a conveyor with two sets of switches along the conveyor.

Fig. 2 shows the switches in perspective together with a wiring diagram .for a certain set of switches. I

Broadly, in the practice of my invention I provide an electricalsystem with switches in series and parallel positioned to be opened or closed by contactwith a sheet of material that is in transit along a conveyor. .The opening and the closing of the switches will automatically determine the efiective length of sheet and also energize take-off mechanism control to remove thesheet at a proper station along the conveyor,

other power line 4b connects to the contacts 17 of the row of switches 30. The switches .I have shown a roller conveyor 1;.with two sets of switches 2 and 2a corresponding to and located at two stations wherev sheets of a certain size will be piled by: a'take-off and stacking mechanism. The take-ofi and stacking mechanism is not shown since my presentinvention is not limitedto any certain type of suchdevice. Fora disclosure of an operative take-off and stacking device suitable for use withthe mechanism. of my present invention, reference made; to co-pending application entitled Automatic pilers, Ser. No. 595,033, filed February 25, 1932, now Patent No. 1,950,192. r

The switches,'for. any station, will be arranged -in fourrows :as indicated by 3," 3a, 3b and 3c.

Each of. theswitches will have a lever 4, which will be pivotally mounted, or other suitable striking means to be actuated by the sheets. The levers will .be free'to assume'a normalposition by the actionof gravity, or they may be 20 otherwise controlled; They will be located acro the conveyor insuoh-a position to allow a sheet to tip them over toward horizontal positioni The first andfourth row of switches "3 and 30 will be connected inparallel while the second 1 and third rows 3'dand 3b are connected in series. This may be accomplished as follows:

A main power line 4a islconnected tothe contacts 5, and another line 6 connects to the other switches 10 in,r ow 3a. .The switches 10,10

etc. in this row are connected in series by leads may be connected to a'lead 13 extending to one side of a coil The 14 for operating a solenoidiswitch nected to the coil 14 by a line.21. .;Thus all the switches are connected in the circuit comprising the power leads 4a and 4b and the coil .50 14 of the solenoid or relay switch 15.I It is con:

venient to locate the juxtaposed sets of switch in different power leads; 'but this obvious makes no difference in operation. Y v

The coil l operates the switch 15 which'clos .11. I A contact 12 on the last switchin the series, 5

rows of the parallel switches disposed atthe ends of the grouping aforesaid. The switches in the parallel series are normally -closed switches, and the switches in theseries groups' are normally open switches. Any sheet .or other article which actuates all of theswitches iii-any station will pass on over that station through'a failure to energize the appropriate take-off mechanism. This is because while-the series switches normally open will be closed .by such an article, parallel switches normally closed will :be opened by such an article. --In order for a sheet. OIKOllhEl article foo actuate :take-off'mechanism .anditherefore be removed from the conveyor :atlany .one stage, it will be necessary for suchsheetonarticle so to affectthe several rows :of switches as :to close .all of the series switches .and .to' releasejgat fleast one of the parallel switches in each of the two rows of series or "parallel switches.

As ;a. consequence, the two rows .of. series :switches .may :be regarded .as means for measurin :the, minimum .length .of .a sheet or article, and the two/rows of parallelswitches as means forv measuring the maximum lengthof a sheet or :article. Any sheet or :article having a'dimension falling betweena predetermined maximumwor minimumiength as aforesaid, will be ..-removed at the panticularstation; andv a; sheet .or article having a length even shorter than the minimum ,pr 'longerr than the .maximuzn'will .be

. passed. ,oncver the" station.

.The stations differ .fromeachsother in-accordancewvith thedistancesbetween:the :severalirows "of switches .appropriate'zto said station. Both the maximum, and ;minimum length measuring -means mayvbe adjusted to diiferen-t values from station to station; but where more-than one station. isemployedfor sorting purposes,- it will usually be advisable of coursesoto; adjust the several" sets of switches that there will 'be no overlappingof maximum andaminimum lengths :as between stations.

Adjustability is secured through providing'for the selective positioning along the conveyor of means supporting the several switches.

means have not beenshown since -they .are well withinbthe purview of one skilledin the art to produce without departing from the spirit of. my

invention. The switches forming the, rows or series 3, 1311, etc; may separately-be mounted upon such a support as a channel iron, which I .When'a sheet passes over" the first'row of in turn may be slidably positioned :along the side rails of the conveyor. The side rails may be calibrated, if desired, to facilitate the ad- 'jus'tmentof these members, or the members may be mounted upon threaded shafts orother devices employed whereby their movement and adjustment is facilitated.

The sheets as they come from the roll may ;have .-straight sides 31 and irregularv ends 32 ljfiween the. greatest indentation as indicated .by

the lines 34 and.35 and the dimension line 36.

This may be explained as follows: I provide Such corresponding rows of maximum and minimum switches extending across the full width of the sheet or other article. Corresponding switches in corresponding rows will always be the same distance apart. So far as the minimum switches are concerned, in order to actuate the take-off mechanism, a sheet or .other article must close all v of these switches. .50 far :as the maximum switches are concerned, however, the closing of one switch in both of the rows 3 and 30 will complete the circuit. In order to be taken off at any given station, therefore, a sheet or article must present sufiicient solid surface to keep all .of .the series switches closed; but the closing of switches in the parallel rows will be determined by the. greatest indentation in the sheet or article. Thus, although the sheet at its forward end may "present a convex edge, and although a portion of the switches in row 30 may be held depressed by portions of the convexity,

another of theswi-tches, as shown in Fig. 1, may

remain :undepressed land this 'swit'ch will represent the longest effective Slength'of the sheet :as vobtained by cutting off the convex portion. Similarly, although :the' rear of the sheet may be fish-tailed .as shown in Fig. 1, that switch in row 3 which is. located at :the point offurthest depression in the sheet will be first. released; and the point of furthest depression of course represents the maximum efiectivelength of the .sheet .that can .be secured by squaring off the fish-tailed portion aforesaid. J 4

'Since it is necessary for. all of the series switches to be .closed in order for the take-oil mechanism to function, it will be obvious that should an imperfect sheet ;or article come along, namely one having such a perforation in it :as would permit the release of one of the series switches, the take-oil mechanism would not be :e'rlergizedmflhe number of series switches may, of course, be multipliedas :desired; and if it is series switches similar to 3;: and 3b maybe employed as are thought necessary adequately to cover the .area'cof .thesheet.

' Primarily in these specifications I have spoken .uf sheets and particularly metallic sheets, such as sheetsiof steel and iron. It will be obvious, however, that my mechanism may be employed for the sorting and counting of other articles with respect .to a dimension thereof, such as but without limitation, sheets of other materials than metal, lumber, boxes, packages and the like. Consequently I do not intend the term t"fsheets to -be a limitation upon my inventio in the appended claims. I p

Operation 1 switches 3 in parallel they will be opened and the circuit broken. If any one of them close the circuit will again be closed. The next row of cuit to this side of the coil would be broken even though one of the switches in row '3 was closed.

The next row of switches 31) also connected in series will close when a sheet contacts with their levers. Closing these. switches completes the circuit to the other side of the coil 14. When the sheet is over the first three rows of switches, row 3 will be open and rows 3a. and 311 will be closed. Just as soon as an indentation along the following edge of the sheet allows one of the switches in row 3 to close current will flow and energize the coil 14. Upon energization of the coil the switch 15 will close and the motor and the solenoid clutch control will coact and cause the take-01f mechanism to remove the sheet from the conveyor. There will be a complete unit for each station along the conveyor comprising four rows of switches, clutch control and take-01f mechanism.

The method of measuring squared edge sheets will be the same as for the case of measuring sheets with irregular edges.

It will thus be seen that sheets too short to close all of the series switches at one time, i. e. sheets below minimum length, as well as sheets so long as to actuate all of the switches at one time, i. e. sheets above maximum length, will fail to energize the take-off mechanism at the particular stage. If such sheets also fail to energize the take-off mechanisms at succeeding stages, they will be deposited off of the end of the conveyor. It is thus possible in my construction to provide a plurality of stages for various classes of sheets or other articles, the various stages designed to remove sheets between certain fixed lengths and by sending a plurality of sheets or articles through my device, to remove in selected piles all of those sheets or articles of the desired cIasses depoSiting at the end in one pile all of the sheets or articles which do not fall within one of the said classes.

In my exemplary embodiment I have shown switches having levers lying in the path of the sheets or other articles passing over the conveyor. My invention contemplates circuit controlling elements actuated by the articles themselves, but these circuit controlling elements need not be switches in the form shown, but may take the form of any circuit controlling elements consistent with economy and suitability. Thus, but without limitation, electric eyes or other circuit controlling means might be employed in the same way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is set forth in the following:

1. In combination with a conveyor system, means for measuring and selecting sheets or other articles, comprising a system of switches actuated by the passage of said.article,jsaid system of switches comprising two rows of parallel connected switches and two rows of series con-. nected switches, said switches all being in the same circuit, said rows of switches being disposed along the conveyor in the order of a parallel connected row, two series connected rows, and a parallel connected row.

2. In combination with a conveyor, means for measuring and selecting sheets or other articles comprising article-actuated electrical switches, a series of said switches connected in series and arranged to measure the minimum length of said article and a series of said switches connected in parallel and arranged to measure the maximum length of said articles, all of said switches arranged to control a single circuit.

3. In'an electrical system for measuring and selecting sheets having uneven ends, a plurality of stations representing classifications, means for measuring the largest available rectangular area of said uneven sheets at each station, and takeoff means at each station actuated by said measuring means, said measuring means comprising a plurality of electrical circuit controlling members actuated by said sheets, said members arranged in rows transversely to the length of the sheets for measuring maximum and minimum rectangular areas of said sheets and connected with certain rows in series and others in parallel so as to coact in energizing take-off means only when said largest available rectangular area falls between a predetermined maximum and minimum.

4. In an electrical system for measuring and selecting sheets having uneven ends, a conveyor system, a plurality of stations arranged on said conveyor system, each station having take-off mecha'nism and measuring means adapted to actuate said take-on; mechanism, said measuring means at each station adapted, due to their positions along said conveyor, to measure maximum and minimum available rectangular areas of said uneven sheets, said measuring devices at said several stations being set to represent different values.

5. In an electrical system for measuring and selecting sheets having uneven ends according to their largest available rectangular area, a stage, a set of normally open series switches and a set of normally closed parallel switches connected in series with said set of-series switches at said stage, said sets being disposed in rows transversely to the direction of travel of the sheet, and means for causing said switches to be actuated by an uneven sheet.

6. In combination with a conveyor system, means for measuring and selecting sheets having uneven edges in accordance with the largest available rectangular area, comprising a system of switches actuated by the passage of said sheets, said system of switches comprising two rows of parallel connected switches and two rows of series connected switches, said switches all being in the same circuit, take-01f mechanism, and means for causing said switches to coact in energizing said take-off mechanism.

7: 11 combination with a conveyor system, meansv for measuring and selecting uneven edged sheets in accordance with the largest available rectangular area, comprising rows of sheetactuated circuit controlling devices arranged in rows transversely of said conveyor, all of said circuit controlling elements coacting to control the take-off energizing circuit and so positioned that an article of minimum available rectangular area is required to open normally closed circuit controlling elements.

. GEORGE A. REEVE. 

